What is Happening at the Ministry of Defense? Why Are Army Commanders Being Dismissed?

On October 7, it was reported that two more commanders of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces' army corps were dismissed from their positions.

Major General Munasib Babaev was relieved of his duties as commander of the 4th Army Corps (Baku), and Colonel Orudzh Abdullayev was dismissed from his position as commander of the 3rd Corps (Shamkir).

A day earlier, Lieutenant General Mais Barkhudarov was dismissed from his position as commander of the 2nd Army Corps.

According to the Turan news agency, these personnel changes were made at the suggestion of the Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander of the Land Forces, Hikmet Mirzayev.

On October 8, by order of the President of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant General Namig Islamzade was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander of the Azerbaijani Air Force.

In May 2024, following the retirement of Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov, no appointment was made for the position of Air Force Commander. At that time, Namig Islamzade was appointed as Acting Commander of the Air Force.

Military expert Uzeyir Jafarov discussed these personnel changes in the "Complex Question" program. According to him, such reshuffles are a common practice and there is nothing extraordinary about them. However, he acknowledged that high-ranking officers, who played a role in the liberation of the country’s occupied territories, were dismissed from their positions.

Jafarov noted that in a statement to Azerbaijani media, Lieutenant General Mais Barkhudarov mentioned that he is now at the disposal of the Ministry. Responding to journalists’ questions, Barkhudarov stated that he does not expect to be appointed to a new position.

However, according to the expert, being “at the disposal” of the Ministry means that the officer will either be appointed to a new position or sent abroad as a military attaché to one of the countries.